Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,352, settled in 1891.
Fairfax’s best subject grade is a B for cost of living; its weakest is a D− for incomes. Fairfax’s average trip to work is 41 minutes, above both the South Carolina town median (24 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). On incomes, just 4 of South Carolina’s 261 towns do worse. Fairfax's schools rank behind 95% of the state's. Fairfax's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 99% of U.S. towns. Virginia Durant Young House is on the National Register of Historic Places. Fairfax has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
2,025 counted in 2010 and 1,505 in 2020; an estimated 1,352 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Fairfax is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 301 in 1900, a peak of 3,206 in 2000, 1,505 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 3 maps from 1918 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Fairfax, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Fairfax.
The typical Fairfax home is worth about $91,000, down 8.1% in a year, 70% below the South Carolina typical home. Fairfax’s median rent is $662 a month, against $1,060 a month in South Carolina’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns. 51% of Fairfax households own their home.
| Fairfax | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 51% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $662 a month | $1,060 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
23% of adults have diabetes in Fairfax. Only 1 of the 170 South Carolina towns we compare have a lower share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Fairfax. 53% of adults have high blood pressure in Fairfax.
| Fairfax | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 15% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 28% | 25% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 15% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 53% | 40% | 35% |
| What stands out | Fairfax | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10% | 15.7% |
| Fewer adults with depression | 18.6% | 22.3% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 32.3% | 17.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 77% of U.S. communities. Since 2023, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Fairfax.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Fairfax has mild winters and hot summers. Fairfax’s July high is 92°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Fairfax for work: only 5% work in town. The median household income in Fairfax is $41,000. Since 2013, Fairfax has lost 164 jobs, to 328 in 2023.
| Fairfax | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 27% | 17% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $41,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.9% | 6.1% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
1 within 15 miles of the center of Fairfax
About 5 of every 100 Fairfax residents are enrolled in college, about the same as South Carolina.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Town in South Carolina, United States
Fairfax is a town in Allendale County, South Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, Fairfax had a population of 1,505.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
That is 2.8 years of the area's median household income ($32,328 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
2 notable people were born here, including G. Lloyd Preacher and Vertamae Grosvenor.